It is unbelievable to see herds of red deer and roe deer among cattle grazing inside a forest, but that is true for a small forest landscape in high elevations of northern Iran. Protected by a small group of local people, Chelav No Hunting Area is an incredible collection of Hyrcanian charismatic mammals in one place, from Persian leopard and brown bear to snow cock.
In order to find potential ways to support this amazing conservation initiatives led by local people, the Future4Leopards Foundation team set to visit this area twice recently to find ways for potential collaboration. The FLF team was lucky to see two species of deers, while camera trap footages indicate wide presence of larger carnivores in the area. We found this area an important stepping stone for both persistence of large mammals in northern Iran, particularly due to its position to connect other areas and we are committed to support the local group for improving the conservation of leopards and other large mammals since 2021.